Can cover replacer



Sept. 5, 1939.

N. J. PETER 2,171,763

CAN COVER REPLACER Filed Nov. 11, 1956 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 22062132321 all/44a, I

Sept. 5, 1939. J PETERS 2,171,763

I CAN COVER REPLACER Filed Nov. 11, 1936 s Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 5, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CAN. COVER REPLACERJ Application November 11. 1936, Serial No. 110,283

7 Claims.

The invention relates to mechanism for replacing covers on milk cans or similar containers after .the cans and covers have been washed by their passage through a power operated washing machine.

Milk cans are of various sizes and their heights vary with the size or capacity of the can. Also the weights, sizes, and types of covers vary. With the usual cover replacers in which the covers slide down a guideway by gravity and onto the can there is the liability of the heavy covers sliding over the top of the can while the lighter covers do not reach the can in proper timed relation with its discharge from the washing machine, and these difficulties with sliding covers are increased where the machine has to deal with cans of different heights. The object of the present invention is to provide a cover replacer which will function efiiciently to replace covers on cans of different heights and one in which the cover is positively pushed onto the can.

In the preferred form 'of the invention the chute which receives the covers from the washing machine is raised and lowered to meet the mouth of the can as closely as possible to give a positive replacement by the action of the pusher mechanism, and this action is further improved by positioning the chute close to the top of the can level in which case the chute is raised out of the way of the can being uprighted.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cover replacer that will permit the covers and cans to be operated on close centers so as to provide a narrow machine using less floor space than the usual machines, the cover replacer including a chute on which the cover is pushed through a ninety degree angle whereby the covers and cans can pass at comparatively close centers through the washer and straight out to the turnover and replacer mechanisms and yet have enough length in the curved chute to allow adjustment of the chute to different heights without producing too great an inclination to the chute. Increasing the inclination of the chute is objectionable as it produces a sliding action on the cover, and a pusher associated therewith would not give as positive replacement as is provided herein by the pushing of the covers through a slow and uniform motion.

A further object of the invention is to provide an arrangement in which the cover is elevated from the washer to the cover replacing chute so that the can and cover track in the washer can be set low at the most convenient level for the operator and the cans raised on the discharge end to give height enough for cans to roll a comparatively long distance on a gravity roller conveyor to a place where the cans are reloaded or stored.

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawings: 7

Fig. lis' a perspective view of a cover applying mechanism embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a detail view of a driving connection between certain of the parts, parts being broken away and parts beingshown in section;

Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation view of parts of the operating mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation view of cover-applying mechanism embodying the invention;

Fig. 6 is a front end elevation view of the mechanism embodying the invention; Fig. 7 is a side elevation view showing the mechanism in cover applying position, parts being broken away and parts being shown in section;

Fig. 8 is a detail vertical sectional view through a part of the actuating mechanism;

Fig. 9 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 99 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a detailed plan view of a part of the mechanism.

Cover replacers are usually used in conjunction with washing machines in which the cans and covers are simultaneously moved through the various treating stations of the washing machine with the can in an inverted position, and as the can leaves the machine, it is turned to an upright position, and when it reaches this position, the cover is applied thereto by the cover replacer. Thus the cover replacer and can turning mechanism aretimed to operate in conjunction with each other, and while both of these mechanisms now have a separate status in the art, it is desirable to explain the action of the can turning mechanism to understand certain functions and conditions of operation of the cover replacer mechanism.

In the drawings I have shown the delivery end portion of a washing machine in which the numeral l2 designates the framework of the machine, l3 supporting rails over which the cans in inverted position are moved by the pivoted pawls l4 on the reciprocating mover bar I5, [6 guides for the covers C along which they are moved by the pivoted pawls l! on the mover bar l8. The bars l5 an d I 8 are connected together by a frame member I9 and reciprocated by mechanism in-- cluding a rotary 'motor driven shaft 20 having a crank 2| mounted thereon whose free end works in a slot 22 in an oscillatory lever 23 mounted at one end on a pivot shaft 24 and connected at its other end by a link 25 with the member IS. The pawls l4 and I1 are of the spring returned type, the spring 25 normally urging the pawl against a fixed stop 26 on the mover bar so that the pawls push the objects to be moved in the forward direction but swing by these objects on the return stroke of said bar. The cans and the covers' are thus moved together through the machine, and the washed and dried can is pushed by the last pawl |4 onto a cradle 21 while the cover is pushed by its last pawl -|'|onto a cover mover and elevator 28.

The can turning mechanism may be of any suitable construction but is here shown of the type more particularly shown and described in the application of Edward C. Damrow, Serial No. 108,727, filed November 2, 1936, and includes the cradle 21 for receiving the inverted can and lowering it to a lay down position and within the path of movement of an uprighting cradle 30 which moves the can to an upright position upon a support 3| while swinging it about a roller 32 on the front end of said support. The cradles 21 and 36 are operated in timed relation to each other from the shaft 20, the cradle 21 having a shaft 3 connected by a crank arm 34 and slotted connecting rod 35 with the free end of the crank 2|, the cradle 3|] being mounted on a shaft 36 connected by a crank 3'1 and connecting rod 38 with a crank arm 39 on the shaft 20. As herein shown the cradle 30 has links 40 connected thereto in spaced relation, and each link is connected to a pusher pawl carrying slide 4| mounted at the side of the support 3|. The pawls 42 on these slides are similar to the feed pawl I4 and H and act to advance an uprighted can along the support 3| to a delivery conveyor with the cover applied thereto as the next turned over can is being moved to an upright position.

The cover replacing mechanism includes the moving and elevating member 28 which includes a lever arm 43 loosely pivotally mounted on the shaft 36 and having a cover receiving pocket 44 at its upper end which, acting in conjunction with a back stop plate 45, moves the cover in an edgewise position from the washing machine to a support or chute 46 upon which the cover C is deposited bottom side down, the cover turning over to this position about the out-turned edge 4'! of the pocket as said cover moves beyond the confining action of the plate 45. Tofacilitate the turning over of the cover a slot 48 is formed in the back wall of the pocket 44, and as the cover moves over to a position in line with the chute 46, a fixed rod 49 disposed at an angle to the pocket 44 moves along the slot 48 and engages the back edge of the cover and thus assists in turning it bottom side down upon the chute 46. At this time the chute 46 is in an elevated position to clear the top of the can then being swung to upright position thereunder, and after receiving the cover the chute is lowered down to a position on top of or directly over the top of the can as shown in Fig. '7, and then the cover is positively moved along the chute by a pusher member 58 which acts in timed relation with the raisingand lowering movements of the chute, and the cover is pushed thereby over the front edge of the chute and into the mouth B of the can A.

s The mechanism for operating and controlling the movements of the cover mover 28, the chute 46, and the pusher member 50 will now be described.

The shaft 36 carries a bell crank lever 5|, one end of which has a set screw 52 which on the movement of said lever is adapted to intermittently contact the lever 43 and raise the same from the cover receiving position shown in Fig. 5 to the position shown in Fig. 1, the member 28 swinging back by gravity to a cover receiving position and against an adjustable stop 53. The movement of the lever 5| is so timed that it engages andmoves the lever 43 to an elevated possition while the uprighting cradle 35 is moving to an upright position.

The chute 46 at its cover receiving end is secured to an oscillatory shaft 54 journalled in the machine frame and having a single jaw clutch member 55 keyed thereto which as shown in Figs. 8 and 9 is adapted to mesh with a clutch member 5'! on a bevel gear 58 loose on the shaft 54, the clutch jaws being so formed as to provide for a certain amount of lost angular motion between these clutch members, here shown as about The gear 58 meshes with a bevel gear 59 keyed to an upright oscillatory shaft 60 suitably journalled in bearings in the frame of the machine and having a crank arm 6| operatively connected by an articulated linkage tothe lever 5|. This linkage includes a member 62 pivotally mounted on a vertically disposed pivot pin 63 on the free end of the arm 6| and having the forked end of a rod 64 pivotally connected thereto by a horizontally disposed pin or bolt 64. The

rod 64 is slidably mounted in a block 65 and normally'moved in one direction to a position in which its stop pin 66 engages said block by a spring 6'1 interposed between the head end of said rod and said block. The block 65 has a pivot pin portion 68 mounted in one end of a short link 69 whose other end is mounted on a' pivot pin 16 carried by the upper arm of the lever 5|. The lowered position of the chute may under certain conditions be limited by the adjustable stopscrew The pusher member 50 is formed by an arm or rod which is secured at one end to the upper end of the shaft 60 and is limited in its movement in one direction by an adjustable stop 12 on the frame. To accommodate the raising and lowering movements of the chute 46 the member 50 has a depending cover engaging arm 13 which works in an arcuate slot 14 in the chute and a U-shaped bend 15 of the shaft 54.

The chute 46 as previously noted is in an elevated position when the cover is deposited there-.'

on and as the shaft 36 turns back, the member 28 drops down to a covering receiving position while the crank 5| through the linkage connection previously described exerts a pull on the crank 6| after the tension on the spring 61 is released and the stop 66 is engaging the member 65. Pulling on the crank 6| swings the shaft 60 in an anti-clockwise direction, and this movement is transmitted through the bevel gears 56 and 58 to the shaft 54 to swing the chute 46 downwardly onto the top of the can. At the same time the cover pusher member 50 mounted on the shaft 66 is turned thereby and swings toward the open end of the chute and pushes the cover off from the chute onto the can. The arm 13 on the member 50 works through the slot 14 so that it will not pass over a cover while the chutev is in a lowered position. The chute is usually adjusted to rest on the highest can, usual- 1y a ten gallon size, and also on a lower eight ageless gallon size. The stop ll acts as the low limit for the chute when no can is in place and also for a five gallon size the chute will rest on said step and the cover will drop a few inches fro the chute onto the can.

On the beginning of the upstroke of the cradle 30 shaft 60 is turned in a clockwise direction through the linkage heretofore describedand this turns the pusher member 50 back against its stop 12 while the gearing connection turns the shaft 54 to raise the chute for the next cover and to a position to clear the top of the can as it is uprighted by said cradle. The raising of the cover chute is also done to prevent dancing of the cover when it is tipped onto the chute as some covers when dancing work forward and fall off. The chute is not raised until the previously uprighted and covered can has been advanced far enough along the support 31 by the pawls 42 so the chute when it is raised clears the cover on the just covered can. This slight dwell of the chute even when the shaft 6|] has started to turn is accomplished by the slip clutch connection between the parts 55 and 51 as the gear 58 has a certain amount of lost motion until its clutch face 51 picks up the clutch member 55. Thus the chute remains stationary until the jaws of said clutch member engage, and then the chute is raised. In the same way the chute will start to lower immediately when the shaft 60 turns in the reverse direction, and while said shaft turns through this part of the cycle, the gear 58 being loose and working away from the jaw 55 permits the chute to come to rest at various levels depending upon the type of can being operated on.

The linkage including the spring 6'! permits the shaft 60 to be moved to a position to bring the pusher member 50 against its stop 12 before the member 28 has moved the cover to the chute 46 so that the pusher will always be behind the cover. The pusher 50 will be against its stop while the crank 51 is still rising, and the loose link 64 under these conditions slides in the bore in the member 65 and the spring 61 is put under compression. The shaft 60 then starts turning on its ejection stroke as the arm 5i moves downwardly and the member 65 moves against the pin 66 and the tension of spring 61 is released.

It is to be noted that the member 28 remains stationary until the cradle 30 has moved at least half way up to its uprighting position and the pusher 50 is against the stop 12 since the screw 52 does not engage the arm 43 until then.

As the shaft 36 turns back, the member 28 lowers, the arm 43 engaging with the lever 5| until it strikes the stop 53. While this action is taking place, the previously moved cover is being pushed out onto a can, and the cradle 30 is lowering to receive a can from the cradle 21.

The cover track or guide I6 is relatively low so that the operator may readily place the covers therein, and while the can in a delivered position is above the level of the rails l3, these differences in elevation are readily accommodated by the lifting action of the member 28.

It will be noted that as the chute may have various positions into which it may be lowered, it will accommodate itself to cans of different height and that for any angle of movement of the chute the cover is positively pushed off the chute into the mouth of the can.

Some of the advantages of the invention may be obtained where the gears for turning the chute to raise or lower the same are omitted and the chute normally rests on the stop pin H which is adjusted to take care of a ten-gallon can. The chute would then be stationary during all normal operations of the machine though it could be hinged to the framework as in the form shown sothat it could be moved out of the Way should a high can jam below it. The cover would be tipped onto and positively pushed along the chute as in the first described construction, but for cans lower than the ten-gallon size the cover would drop down onto the can. This modification produces more wear and tear on the covers but does give the advantages of positive and smooth feed of the covers along the chute.

I desire it to be understood that this invention is not to be limited to any specific form or arrangement of parts except in so far as such limitations are included in the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is: 1. In a can covering machine having laterally disposed can and cover guideways, the combina tion of a support for directing a cover laterally through an are from the line of the cover guideway into the line of the can guideway and into the mouth of an upright can, means for delivering a cover in head up position onto said support, and means for positively pushing the cover along said support into the mouth of the can.

2. In a device for placing a cover on a can, the combination of a cover support having one end movable from a spaced position to a cover applying position upon the top of a can, means for moving said cover support, means for carrying a cover on edge to said support including an oscillatory hopper having a slotted side, a member in the path of said slot so positioned as the hopper alines with said support as to engage and turn the cover top side up onto said support as it is delivered thereto, and means for positively pushing the cover along said support into the mouth of the can.

3. Ina can assembling machine having laterally disposed can and cover guideways and can uprighting mechanism by which the uprighted can has its mouth disposed at a higher elevation than said cover guideway, the combination of a cover support movable from a raised position above a can being uprighted to a cover applying position at the top of the can, means for moving said cover support, means for positively carrying a cover on edge from said cover guideway and raising it to a position in line with said support, means for turning the cover top side up onto said support as it is delivered thereto, and means for positively pushing the cover along said support into the mouth of the can.

4. In a device for placing a cover on a can, the combination of a cover support, an oscillatory shaft on which said support is mounted, an oscillatory actuating shaft, a connection between said shafts including gearing and a slip clutch connection between said gearing and said first named oscillatory shaft, means for operating said actuating shaft, said cover support being movable from a cover receiving position to a cover applying position upon the top of a can, means for depositing a cover in upright position on said support, and a pusher member connected to said actuating shaft for pushing a cover along said support into the mouth of a can.

5. A device for placing a cover on a can comprising the combination of a support for sliding covers,-including a slide of substantial length along which a cover may move from a coverreceiving position, at one end thereof, to a coverapplying position, at the other end thereof, means 75 tively pushing the cover along said support into the mouth of the can..

6. A device for placing a cover on a can comprising the combination of a tiltable support for sliding covers, including a slide of substantial length along which a cover may move from a cover-receiving position, at one end thereof, to a cover-applying position, at the other end thereof, means for tilting said cover support so that said latter end may move from a position, spaced from the top of a can to a downwardly inclined position adjacent the top of a can, means for carrying a cover on edge to said support, means for engaging the cover so carried for turning the prising the combination of a support for sliding covers, including a slide of substantial length along which a cover may move from a cover-receiving position, at one end thereof, to a coverapplying position, at the other end thereof, means for moving said cover support so that said latter end may move from a position spaced from the top of the can to a position adjacent the top of a can, means for carrying a cover on edge to said support including an oscillatory hopper having a slotted side and a member in the path of said slot so positioned as the hopper aligns with said support as to engage and turn the cover, top side up, onto said support as it is delivered thereto.

' NORMAN J. PETERS. 

